Dragon Life
by BubblyShell22
Summary: Mario Rosolli thought being in the Purple Dragons would be a piece of cake, but he's about to realize that Dragon life is not what he thought it would be as he faces rival gangs, his family, and the police.


Dragon Life

Chapter 1: Recruiter

A/N: Hey, I'm back with another plot bunny. This one bit me while I was working on Hide and Seek. I was thinking about Mario Rosolli and what his life was like while he was in the Purple Dragons before the events of Hide and Seek. So, that's what this story will focus on as well as some events from Hide and Seek that may not have been covered in the actual story. I really hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters don't belong to me. They belong to Nickelodeon Studios. I do own Mario Rosolli and any other characters you don't recognize.

Summary: Mario Rosolli thought being a Purple Dragon would be a piece of cake, but he's about to realize that Dragon life isn't what he thought it would be as he faces rival gangs, his family, and the police.

"Mario Benito Rosolli, you get up this minute!" The shrill cry of my mother's voice is what woke me since my alarm clock had been broken in one of my rages. I groaned and rolled over, wishing that she would just go to work and leave me alone. But because I often skipped school, she made it her mission to make sure I got up and went. I didn't want to go today or any other day. Why the hell should I go to school? What good would it do me? I didn't want to be anything special anyway.

My mother's a tough woman, but she's always been like that. She's been a single mother since I was five and had to raise me and my brother and sister by herself after my dad walked out on us. He was an alcoholic and had found someone else to be in his life. He just went and left us with nothing else to look forward to. I know a lot of kids who come from broken homes like mine, and they all react the same way. They're destructive and don't care about authority like me. My brother, Hector, and my sister, Teresa, were very different. While it was hard on them when Dad left, they still managed to do well in school. Hector had graduated high school and was in college at the University of Miami majoring in business. Teresa was a senior and planned to go to NYU and become a lawyer. As for me, I just didn't care about the future. It didn't matter to me at all. I would do whatever it took to get by, but I didn't want to go to college or anything like that.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard my mother's footsteps coming up the stairs. Boy was I in for it now. She banged on my door and shouted, "Mario Benito Rosolli, you better get out of there!"

"I 'm up," I groaned. "Keep your pants on."

"Don't you talk that way to me, young man!" she chastised. "Your sister has already left. I'm not going to let you stay home. Get your lazy ass out of bed! No son of mine is going to be a bum!"

I sighed and did as she said. I just picked up the first shirt I saw and put it on along with a pair of jeans. I didn't know if they were clean or not since all of my clothes were strewn on the floor, and I hadn't taken the time to put the ones that needed to be washed in the laundry basket Mom had for me. I heard my mother leave my door and went out. I ran a brush through my hair, brushed my teeth, and went downstairs. Mom was washing plates and didn't even offer to make me breakfast. I figured I could always stop by one of the local convenience stores and get a sandwich there.

"Why didn't you take a shower?" Mom demanded. "You stink!"

"I don't have time for that," I told her. "I'm late. I'll see you later."

"You'd better go to school today, Mario," she warned. "I don't need to get another call that you missed school to hang out with nobodies."

"I'm going, okay?" I whined. "You don't have to worry. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"Okay," she said. "Have a good day."

"You too," I replied. Then I headed out the door and looked back. I could see Mom's face in the window as though she wasn't sure I was going to keep my word. I walked along, pretending that I was going to school so she wouldn't follow me. Knowing her, she had some private detective or some spy following my every move. That was just the way Mom was. I went to the convenience store and saw that the cashier was busy with customers. I sidled over to the area where the breakfast items were kept and got out a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich. I thought about just stealing it, but I knew it wasn't a good idea. I waited in line and then paid for it with some money I had saved up doing lawns.

I walked out of the store, munching on the sandwich as I went. It really tasted good, and I was glad I had bought it. I thought about ditching school, but I decided to go for a little bit and ditch during lunch. Usually, if you at least had lunch that counted as a full day, so maybe I wouldn't get caught. I went to my locker and took off my ratty backpack. I really wanted one of those new ones, but Mom couldn't afford that on a waitress's salary. I got out my books for my first class, which was already in session, and headed over there. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I bumped into someone, causing them to fall. I looked down and saw a girl with curly red hair and blue-green eyes.

"Watch where you're going!" she snapped.

"Shut up, bitch!" I snapped. "It was an accident, okay?"

"What did you call me?" she demanded.

"Why don't you get your ears cleaned?" I snapped back. "I called you a bitch."

"Takes one to know one, asshole," she retorted. "Why are you out here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

"I overslept," I answered. "Why are you out of class?"

She held up a hall pass. "I'm on an errand for my teacher," she replied.

I smirked. "Ah, so you're a teacher's pet," I told her. "That explains a lot."

"And you're an egotistical asshole who has no regard for anyone," she countered.

"Whoa, you've got spunk," I commented. "I like that. What's your name, kid?"

"Aubree Hennigan," she answered.

Wait, I knew that name. Her dad was a cop and had threatened to arrest me for being truant. "So, you're the cop's daughter," I remarked. "That's interesting."

"Who are you?" she asked without responding to my remark.

"Mario Rosolli," I told her.

"Whatever," she said. "I have to go. You'd better get to class."

"Hey, you want to go out later?" I offered. Even though she was a cop's daughter, she was pretty hot.

"I'm thirteen," she clarified. "How old are you?"

"Fifteen," I replied. "What of it?"

"You're too old for me," she answered. "And I don't go out with assholes." Before I could respond she walked away.

"Stupid bitch," I muttered. Who needed her? I entered my first class and got bawled out for being late, but I didn't care. The day went by so slowly for me, and I couldn't wait for lunch to roll around. Once it did, I followed the other kids to the cafeteria. I was hungry, so I decided to get some lunch before I decided to ditch. But before I could get in line, a kid with blue hair and a dragon tattoo on his face came up to me.

"Hey, kid, want to come with me?" he asked. "We can get a better lunch than the shit that's served here."

I nodded. "Sure," I said. Anything would be better than sitting in the cafeteria and having all those kids staring at me.

"Great," he said. "My name's Larry but everyone calls me Dragon Face. I like what I see, kid, and I think you could become a member of the Purple Dragons."

I'd heard of the Purple Dragons before. They were well-known gang who did all sorts of stuff in New York. I had always wanted to be a member, but I never thought I would become one.

"Me?" I asked. "But I'm only fifteen."

"So?" he said. "You have the look of someone who could be a member. Being a Purple Dragon will change your life in ways you've never expected. What do you say, kid?"

"My name's Mario," I told him. "And, sure, I'll join." What else did I have to lose?

"Awesome," Dragon Face said. "Let's go get a bite to eat, and I'll tell you more about it. Tonight, you'll meet Hun, and we'll see if we can get you in."

"Who's Hun?" I asked. It seemed like a weird name to me.

"He's the leader of the group," Dragon Face replied. "He'll be the one who decides if you're good enough to get in or not."

"Oh, I see," I said. "Sounds cool." I followed him out of the school and to a Burger King a few streets down. A group of kids were sitting at a table and waved Dragon Face over.

"Mario, this is Spike, Two Ton, Blades, and Snake," Dragon Face said as he pointed to each one. Spike had spiked purple hair and a few piercings, Two Ton looked like he could be a sumo wrestler, Blades kept playing with a pocket knife by snapping the blade out and pushing it back in, and Snake looked like he had a broken nose. "Guys, this is Mario, our potential new member."

"Nice to meet you," I said to them.

"What's up?" Two Ton asked.

"Nothin' much," I answered.

"You think you got what it takes to be a Dragon?" Spike demanded.

"Of course he does!" Dragon Face answered for me. "He's got the look, and I bet he's got the skills, too. He'll be perfect."

"That's up to Hun though," Blades reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Dragon Face said grudgingly. The way he said it made me think that he wasn't happy that Hun was the leader. I'd have to ask him about that later. Dragon Face and I went up and took the order for the group. When it was ready, we carried the trays back to the table and served the guys. As we ate, they asked me questions about my life and what I did for a hobby. I told them I had no hobbies except for playing video games and ditching school.

"Yeah, that's us, too," Spike said. "We hate school. Bein' in the Dragons is better than that. You get better perks and have a lot of fun. The only thing is that we have to operate at night. It's easier that way for us not to get caught."

"Sounds pretty cool to me," I commented. "So, what's Hun like?"

"He's pretty tough and runs the joint," Two Ton replied. "You don't want to cross Hun no matter what."

"There's only two rules when it comes to the Dragons," Blades added. "Loyalty and teamwork. You stay loyal to the Dragons and don't rat on anybody, and you work together to get the job done."

That sounded easy enough. "Don't worry, I won't rat you guys out," I promised.

"Good," said Dragon Face. "I think you'll be a good member for us, Mario."

"So, if you get it, what's your name gonna be?" Snake asked.

"I was thinkin' of Diablo," I replied. My mom always told me I was destined for hell anyway, so it seemed fitting.

"Nice one," commented Dragon Face. "I like it. What do you think, boys?"

They all murmured their approval at my chosen name. It made me feel good to know that these boys accepted me as one of them, even though I wasn't an official member yet. As we talked about other things, I couldn't help but think about how I now belonged to an official group and I was no longer a nobody with nothing to look forward to. I vowed that I would do whatever it took to become a member of the Purple Dragons and make a name for myself.

A/N: And I'll end the chapter here. What do you think so far? I'm having a lot of fun with this story and can't believe it's entered my head so quickly. In the next chapter, Rosolli will meet Hun, which should be interesting to say the least. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.


End file.
